{road trip} Sydney’s Northern Beaches and an Australian style picnic

October 27, 2015

I have just spent two weeks in the beautiful Sydney’s northern Beaches area. I stayed with my friend Airlie in her lovely house hidden high up in the woods in Clareville, on Pittwater side with its tranquil waters. It is located almost at the very end of the long peninsula, just before reaching Palm Beach. I very much enjoyed my time there, where I did more photography (food and landscapes) and cooking (but not so much walking…). You’ve already seen the pancakes with a glimpse of the view from her deck here over Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park and the lorikeets coming for a bite.

On one side of the peninsula, there is the ocean, on the other side Pittwater with its sailing boats. You can take the ferry from Palm Beach to cross Pittwater and reach the National Park for a picnic or even camping. For the fans of big walks, there is a coastal walk from Palm Beach to Cronulla (from the Northern Beaches to the Southern suburbs) which lasts a few days. Check the link here. I did only a tiny part of it between South Head and Maroubra beach, but never in one go…I loved it!

So Airlie took me on a road trip to show me the beauty of this exclusive part of Sydney. I was delighted because she took me to the best spots! So here are a few pics before we get to eat…

So after spotting a few nice picnic and BBQ areas, I wanted to organize a small picnic to enjoy being outside and prepared some light lunch with an Australian style. Airlie chose the salad recipe and Catherine was my model! Not easy to manage the harsh light at this time of the day. Not to mention I had to hurry up taking the photos to avoid that our food would melt unde the sun. Sorry for those who are in the cold…the cake could bring a bit of exotism in your autumn!

Cut the watermelon in triangle shapes after getting rid of the rind. Cut the onion in to half moon shapes (let it soak in the lime juice to soften it a bit). Prick the parsley leaves to use them as a green salad base and chop the mint leaves. Assemble all ingredients and crumble the feta on top. Prepare the dressing and pour it over the salad and gently toss the everything.

2- Place the nuts, flour and salt in the bowl of a food processor and blend until the nuts are ground. Add the banana and process until combined.

3- Place the egg yolks and sugar in a bowl and beat for 3 minutes, or until the mixture is pale and creamy. Fold through the zest and coconut, then the nut and banana mixture.

4- Whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Then fold lightly through the nut batter.

5- Spread the batter evenly into a 23 cm (9 inch) greased or non-stick flexipan cake tin. (Iused a rectangular pan). Bake for 30-40 min or until the cake is lightly golden.

6- Remove from the oven and leave to sit for 10 min in the tin. Turn the cake out onto a serving plate and leave it to cool down completely. Spread the lime icing over the cake, allowing it to drizzle down the sides.

Note: I have added a banana to Bill’s original recipe as I feared the cake would be too dry. In the end it was moist to our liking. I prepared it the day before and did the icing the next morning. I kept the remaining pieces of cakes for 5 days in an airtight container.

Put the drained beetroot in a food processor together with all the ingredients. Blend until you get a smooth mashed mixture. Add more of one of the ingredients or other spices to suit your taste. This dip is very smooth in taste and covers well the beetroot’s earthy flavour. But you could also use cream cheese or fresh goat cheese.

1- Prepare the chickpeas two days before, (for the ones that are ready to do the traditional way): let the chickpeas soak for 12 hours (overnight), let them germ out of water another day, slow cook them for 1h30 to 2 hours in simmering water (I usually do it when I am in the kitchen preparing something else and during dinner time) and last but not least, peel them (I usually do in front of a tv show) – otherwise you can use canned chickpeas.

2- Put the chickpeas in a food processor with half the water. Blend until you get a smooth mixture. Add the tahini, then olive oil (spoon after spoon) and garlic. Add the lemon juice last. I tend to blend each ingredient separately to see how they incorporate into the mixture to make sure it does not become too runny. On the other hand, if it stays too dry, add more water or lemon juice at the end.

I hopeyou enjoyeddiscoveringthis area ofSydney which is well worth thevisit ifyou have timeto escapethe city centrefor a weekendor longer.I lovethe beachesof theEasternsuburbs, but theseare beautiful and theareais much morerelaxing!

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About Me

Hello,
I am Sandrine, a foodie and cooking enthusiast, who happens to style and shoot delicious food.
I am also a lover of handmade ceramics.
After 10 years living in Sydney, London and Luxembourg, I am back in Paris but my heart is still in Australia.